with an impending fiscal cliff challenging all of us. the women and men who serve in this great body have expressed great differences but those differences ought not divide us. they should build us with the best consensus, we need a bold and balanced approach to this fiscal cliff. mr. tonko: we need to make certain that the 33 consecutive months of private sector job growth are not disrupted. we need to make certain that the unemployment rate does not rise as the c.b.o., congressional budget office suggests, to 9.1%. we need to avoid taxes growing by $,200 for an average family of four in 2013. -- $2,200 for an average family of four in 2013. it is important for us to go forward and take the initiative and avoid the consequences of that fiscal cliff. i'm concerned because fema as an example would be cut by some $878 million. having witnessed the destruction in my district, we can ill afford that. cuts to nutrition programs, cuts to medicare. i implore our leadership in this house to bring a bold and balanced approach to solve our fiscal